INTERVIEW: Pale Houses

You may have never heard the name Pale Houses, but we are fixin’ to change that today. Coming in hot out of Nashville, indie pop rockers Pale Houses released their new EP, Songs of the Isolation, on March 30, 2018. In what can only be described as ethereal emo meets the smoothly echoed halls of indie rock (imagine it, really…), this EP has a sound to it like no other.

From top to bottom, a story can be found woven into the lyrics, but don’t focus too hard on the words or you’ll miss the incredible instrumentals from one track to the next. Leaving us aching for more, the only complaint about Songs of the Isolation is that it isn’t longer. Like a lover leaving before the harsh rays of dawn slide through the cracks of the miniblinds, Songs of the Isolation leads the listener to wonder, “What the hell just happened, and when can I do it again?”

Pale Houses

We chatted with vocalist Aaron Robinson about Songs of Isolation, proud moments on the stage, and when we may finally see these guys live in a city near you! Check out the interview, and then use the attached Spotify link to experience Songs of Isolation for yourself.

First of all, thank you so much for talking with me today! Your new EP comes out Friday, and I am straight up loving it. I can’t lie. So, tell me about its conception. Where did the inspiration come for your lyrics?

Well, the last few years have been an exciting but destabilizing time. Having a child, priorities shifting, needing to escape, dealing with fears, regrets, love, grief… it’s all in there. It’s just how I write, for better or worse. I’d like to tell you the next record will be all party jams, but I don’t want to start this interview off by telling lies.

Instrumentally, I can hear the nods to bands like Bon Iver, which is one of your musical inspirations. I love it, as I also dig them. How do you make sure that you honor those who have influenced you while still making a style that is uniquely your own? So much has “been done” in music, but you guys definitely have something super unique going on!

I try not to think too much about that. I can’t speak for the whole band, but I’m not super bashful about my influences. I am an avid music listener, and I get excited about things constantly. I hear things all the time that make me want to try new ideas. I’m sure some of that sticks and people may notice it now and again. But I think the combination of what we all bring adds up to something that isn’t easily labeled. We love Bon Iver, but some of us also love bands like Superdrag or The Blue Nile or Idaho and I think elements of all those influences work their way into what we do.

Outside of the EP, what is your proudest moment in music to date? What have you done that has made you go, “Damn, I did that!” Or, even better, what makes your loved ones proud as well? (we all just want to make our grannies proud, don’t we?!)

I have a few. Playing shows and chatting as peers with heroes like David Bazan, American Music Club, Pure Bathing Culture, Mineral, and Wheat have all been high points. But at that AMC show, singer/songwriter/hero Mark Eitzel told me he wished he’d written one of the lines in one of my songs. Nothing will probably ever top that.

If you weren’t in music, what else would you be doing instead? And when you’re not making music, where can we find you?

I really don’t know what I’d be doing. I do have a day job that I won’t get into, but if I could pick a dream job that wasn’t actually playing music full time, maybe I’d build guitars? I’m not particularly handy or skilled at anything, so I’m pretty sure I’d be terrible at it and darn near anything else.

I checked out the live stream on Acme Radio, which has me itching for more. Any tour plans? Specifically, I don’t know, through Cleveland?

Hah! Touring is tough at the moment given our status as dads with varying side careers, but I think given the right circumstances, we could make some light touring happen. All that’s up in the air. I would at least like to track some live footage and upload it to Youtube. Let us get this record out and find out how much more folks want to hear, and we’ll see where that takes us!

Back to the EP, what is the message that you are hoping the listeners take away from this one? I love its solid lightness, if that’s a thing. It’s ethereal and deep and floaty while also being super strong and lyrically spot-on and relatable. What’s the goal for you guys in terms of what you hope others get from it?

Thanks, man. I personally hope that the need to fight for who and what you love comes through in the words. There’s a lot of urgency in these songs, and it’s mostly about chasing harmony and stability and joy amidst the chaos of a rapidly changing life. Musically, I think we wanted to accomplish more or less what you described. We like dynamic/punchy indie rock and power pop, but we also are into mellow/pretty/dark guitar and synth textures that were most prevalent 30+ years ago. Of course we hope a whole bunch of people like the music, but we have no control over that.

How does where you come from geographically find its way into your music? Nashville is such a cool place, so I assume its infused right in your sound in some way. And also, probably, in your work ethic.

It helps to be constantly surrounded by people who, despite maybe having to hold a regular job or struggling to get by or whatever, keep music at or near the center of their lives.

Plus I have a lot of friends who have figured out how to make music for a living. Their persistence and dedication have paid off, and that is inspiring. In terms of the sound, I think most songwriters here unintentionally adopt some of the folksiness of the country/Americana thing. I feel like I got most of that out if my system by the time this band started and certainly on this EP. There is a lot of great music happening here, but I feel like the local artists that we really love are the kinds of folks who would rather leave a mark on the town as opposed to leaning heavily on its history. I’d say we probably fit that bill as well.

After this release, what’s next for you guys? What plans are in the works? I love you guys, and I know our readers will, too!

We are going to see this release through and play as much as we can. We’ll see what opportunities come up. We made the EP with zero expectations, but we ended up being really proud of it and spending money on it after the fact. We’re getting vinyl pressed for the first time in our collective lives. It’ll be interesting to see how people react to the songs, and what we do next probably depends at least somewhat on that. Thanks so much for the chat and for the enthusiasm! I hope more people react to this music the way you have!